Tale Of Two
by Pithe
Summary: Half the time we were best friends, and the rest of the time we hated each other's guts. Still, we watched out for each other.
1. Of Starts And Ends

Okay, I worked really hard on this story. I hope you like it. I do have a Casting Call at the bottom for the Brooklyn newsies.

Disclaimer: Must I say this? It hurts each time. Newsies. Isn't. Mine. It's. Disney's. Catherine, Laura, and Anna are all mine. This plot is mine.

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"I'm seeing double!" That's what people would always say when they met us. Then they'd burst out laughing, thinking they were the funniest, most original person on earth. I tell you, it gets real old real fast. It came to the point where we both had to bite our tongues to refrain from together retorting with a "Well, maybe you should get your eyes checked!"

People would ask, "Who's older?".

Laura and I each had our own different responses to that. "I'm older, and more mature, and nicer, and smarterer," was one of Laura's favorites, a lie, by the way, while the simple "Depends, is it better or worse?" was one of mine. We took turns answering. Sometimes, just for the heck of it, we'd exchange a quick glance and answer the same thing at the same time. Every so often we'd even do it by accident. However, some questions she just let me handle. Like the inevitable, "What's it like to be a twin?" To that I'd always answer, "What's it like not to be one?"

I've always been the more serious, philosophical twin. Don't get me wrong, I could get almost as crazy as Laura. And she could calm down too, every once in a while. But I was the one who could go from laughing to serious in the blink of an eye. I was the one who would think about everything, and occasionally make the random comment about the meaning of life. Laura didn't care so much about what it was all about, usually; she lived more in the now. It was one of our many differences. I was the cool, calm, collected one. Laura, well, with her you could never tell. As Anna, a good friend of ours from the orphanage, once put it, "Laura will get you with her insanity. You never know what she'll do or say next. Catherine, she'll be all calm and laid-back, she'll make you laugh, and you'll never see it coming. That's how she'll get you."

Oh, we were a lot alike. You can't be identical twins without some similarities, and we had a lot. Anyone who portrays twins as complete opposites obviously isn't one. We both loved to read, and we both loved to make others laugh. We both knew ourselves pretty well, which maybe came from being a twin. Laura could be a little cold sometimes, and so could I, although I knew how to watch my words and control myself somewhat better than she did, and that was a fact. Neither of us liked admitting defeat, and we both fought like cats. Often against each other.

Half the time we were best friends, and the rest of the time we hated each other's guts. Still, we watched out for each other. I really don't know where I'd be without Laura. Well, that's not strictly true. I'd still be in that orphanage, for one...

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This was it. I felt the familiar butterflies rise in my stomach, and ignored them. This was no time to get nervous.

Anna was going over the rope one more time, making sure it was safe as it could be. Her, Laura and I had worked on it for a week, stealing spare sheets from the linens closet. Now it was finished, and Laura and I were finally going to get out of that stupid orpahange.

They didn't treat us badly there. We were fed plenty, we didn't get beaten or anything, we got enough sleep. But it was all so _boring_. We woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, went to lessons, had lunch, then more lessons, then ate dinner, and went to bed. Day after day. We couldn't stand it anymore. Laura and I started to act up in class, just for the sake of _change_. There was that time when we put toothpaste on the chair of Ms. Whitall, the Math tutor. Or when we came to lessons wearing all our cothes inside out. We would dress up as each other and switch places, and watch Ms. Galavanti, the old Language tutor, confusedly try to figure us out while poor Anna would shake with barely suppressed laughter. We would always ask questions on everything, sometimes completely random and unrelated. Our punishment would be the rest of the day in Isolation, but it was worth it just to have some fun. Soon Laura had gotten switched to the other dormitory room down the hall, but we knew when the Headmistress went to sleep, so Laura just had to sneak past her room after 12:30 to get to the dormitory room Anna and I slept in.

Still, we wanted out. Our sixteenth birthday was coming up soon. There was a big world out there, and we wanted to be a part of it. We couldn't stand the orphanage anymore. Stuck inside, lessons all day long...There had to be more to life than this.

But it wasn't only that. I haven't yet told you how we got to the orphanage, have I? It started when our father was killed. It was an accident at the factory. Our family was devastated. Laura and I, we were only eight at the time. All we knew was daddy had gone on vacation, and we didn't know when he'd be back. About a year after that, when we were nine, our brother disappeared. We were old enough, by then, to know what was really going on. He was twelve when he left. I think it was because he couldn't take the strain of growing up fatherless. I don't know. But after he left, my mother just kind of gave up. Her health started deteriorating, and in eighteen months, when we were ten and a half, she died. But before she did, she asked one thing of Laura and I - to find our brother. And we promised her we would.

Bit of a stupid thing to promise, looking back on it. But what could we do? We decided we had wasted enough time already. Our brother would be almost twenty by now. If we were going to find him, we would have to do it soon. We only had one picture to aid us, and he was sure to have changed a lot since it was taken. But Laura, at least, was determined. Call me cruel, call me heartless, but I couldn't care less about what had happened to our deserting brother. Laura wanted to find him, though, and there was our promise to mother, so I agreed to help search for him. Before we could do that, however, we had to get out.

Anna finished her inspection and came over, tapping me on the shoulder and bringing me back from my reverie. She had the serious, Let's-Make-This-Work expression she always had when we executed a plan. "I'm not sure how this will hold, so you guys had better climb down fast," she warned, waving the blanket-rope. Then she sighed. "I'm gonna miss you guys! I wish I could come with you!"

I got up and hugged her. "I'm gonna miss you too, Anna," I whispered, looking at her. I wished she could come with us, too. But she had three younger siblings here. Poor Anna. She really loathed it in the orphanage, but what could she do? She would sooner eat a live cockroach than abandon her brothers and sister. I would miss the long debates about the meaning of life, and all the laughs we shared. Anna knew so much about so many interesting things, like geology and biology and why people do what they do. She was practically a certified genius. I certainly learnt a lot more from her than I ever learnt from the tutors. "I'm sure we'll see each other again," I said, forcing myself to believe it. "We'll visit, I promise. Keep the rope, and we'll - I dunno, we'll think something up, okay?"

Anna nodded. Regaining her composure, she stated in her usual, matter-of-fact tone, "You guys had better get going. Quick, before anyone wakes up." Laura, who had been giving the room a final once over to make sure we hadn't left anything, came over and nodded that she was ready. Anna took the rope and tied one end around a bed post near the window. I opened the window, and she threw the rope out. It fell to a few feet above the ground. Perfect. I was going first. Grabbing my bag, I turned to Anna. I had never been good at goodbyes. Finally I just gave her a quick hug and a smile, and, taking the rope, crawled out the window. I climbed down as quickly as I could, looking straight ahead of me. Our room was on the second floor, so it took me about five minutes, but it felt like forever. Finally, I reached the bottom.

Laura looked down at me from our window when I lifted my eyes. I smiled at her, and she started climbing down. When she too reached the bottom, Anna pulled the rope back in. Then she stuck her head back out to watch us leave. With a final wave and smile, Laura and I set out to find our brother. I just couldn't resist, though, looking back one last time at the place I had spent the last five years, and at my best friend's tear-stained face, still smiling through the tears. Then we turned a corner, and it was gone.

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Casting Call!

Name:

Nickname and reason behind nickname:

Age:

Gender:

Appearance:

Personality:

History:

Other:

Thank you! Remember, the sooner and more people respond, the sooner I can get the next chapter up! And if you don't like my story, please say so, and tell me why, so I can try to improve!


	2. Of Pastries and Jobs

Chapter two! Sorry it took so long. My stupid computer decided now would be a good time to drive me nuts. Not a very long chapter, but I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Casting call is still open. Thanks to my reviewers. If you don't like my story, please tell me why, so I can try to improve!

Disclaimer time: Newsies isn't mine. Catherine, Laura, Anna, and this plot are all mine. That quote from Shakespeare is from the play The Tempest. If there's anything I missed, just try sueing me. I got nothing for you to take.

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After the breakout, we walked on silently in the darkness for an hour or so. There was no real destination; our only goal at that moment was to get as far away from the orphanage as possible. Other than that...

I was suddenly alert, looking around, taking in our surroundings. I had just realized what idiots we were being. Walking around on the Brooklyn streets, with nowhere to go! We were no strangers to the streets. We had lived on them for over a year before the orphanage. But that had been five years ago. Five long years, which had robbed us of the honed senses and instincts one needs to survive on the rough streets of Brooklyn. And here we were, walking around like we owned the place, like nothing could hurt us! We knew how to fight, of course, but I wasn't sure we could fight well enough, if we had to. Sheesh, how stupid and naive could we get?

I was, perhaps, overreacting. I don't think my fears were completely unfounded, though. I knew from experience how harsh Brooklyn could get. So well, in fact, that I wondered how Laura and I could have forgotten.

I put out my hand to stop Laura. "I'm tired," I told her, not wanting to state my fears outright. "Can we rest soon?" As I said it, I looked her in the eye, and I think she understood, because she nodded and frowned.

We continued until we saw an empty alley. Empty, at least, of people. I cannot guarantee you, and actually highly doubt, that it was clear of spiders and insects and all manner of creepy crawly things, and _rats_, too. While I wasn't really afraid of bugs, I did not enjoy the thought of them crawling all over me as I slept. And rats terrified me. Mice were cute, but rats were freaky. As you can imagine, that, coupled with the hard ground, did not make for very easy sleep, and I lay awake long after Laura had somehow dropped off. When I finally did sleep, it was only lightly, and I woke up several times during the night.

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Too soon, and not soon enough, it was morning, and Laura was none too gently nudging me awake. Laura loved waking people up, especially if they were already awake, and especially if they were me. She would silently sneak up right next to you and shout "Moooo!" right in your ear. Or she'd sit on you. Or pull your eyelids up and ask "Anyone in there?" Or she'd poke you awake. If anyone ever managed to poke someone to death, it would be Laura who did it.

Back to Laura waking me up. That was a mistake. A long night had put me in a very foul mood. With a loud groan I pulled myself up. I felt disgusting from sleeping in my clothes. My brown hair was full of knots as I ran my hand through it, and my body ached from sleeping on the ground. This did not help the aforementioned bad mood. All in all, I'd had better mornings.

If I'd known what was in store that day, I'm not sure if I would have jumped up excitedly, or refused to leave my uncomfortable bed.

My darling sister was in far better spirits than I. She was somehow bouncing around, happy as a bird. If there's one thing that someone in a bad mood hates most, it's someone in a good mood.

I tried to follow Laura's example and look on the bright side. At least we were out of the orphanage. There was something to be said for that. Not a whole lot, though. Sighing, I brushed myself off as well as I could, then turned to Laura. "How much money do we have?" I asked in my best long-suffering voice.

"One dollar and three cents," she replied without missing a beat. "Come on, it's more than enough to buy breakfast. Cheer up." Easier said than done, but her good mood was rubbing off, and I actually tried. This was actually pretty strange for Laura. Since when did she get good moods? It was a weird, well, almost a reversal of our usual roles.

We picked up our bags and left the alley. At the first bakery we came to we stopped and bought two delicious pastries. In the orphanage we had been allowed only healthy, absolutely tasteless food. Compared to the stuff we usually got to eat, this was heaven. Every bite was savored. As we ate we stood on the side of the busy street, "people watching", as I called it. The dirty looks shot at us from under the parasols of prim ladies as they passed by were answered with near hysterics, which provoked more dirty looks. Good-looking young men were secretly admired. Conversations were "accidentally" overheard. Couples, lost in each other's eyes, bumping in to everyone and not caring, were sighed at. Laughed at too, of course. Basically, we just had a good time, like we hadn't had in ages.

Eventually, when the pastries had been finished, and our fingers licked clean, we got serious once again. "We need to get jobs, you know," Laura began contemplatively. "This money won't last very long. And we can't even think of looking for Charlie without taking care of ourselves first." That was Laura. Crazy, yet so logical.

"I know. Trust me, I know." Silence followed that statement. "Look, brighten up," I said, shooting her words back at her. "How hard could it be for two smart, strong girls to find work in a big place like Brooklyn?"

Famous last words.

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"'How hard could it be?'" Laura repeated mockingly. She could do a very convincing Catherine impression. "'We'll get a job in two seconds, you watch!' Well, I watched all right! It's been a bit more than two seconds! Tell me again, how many jobs have we got?"

"Oh, hush," I responded sullenly, and somewhat pathetically. The truth is, though I hated to admit it, even to myself, she was right. We had walked around all day, and every single door had slammed in our faces. Even more, almost all our money was gone. Things were definitely not looking up.

"I hate to say it, Catty, but we may have to go to thieving."

I looked my twin straight in the eye. "No." For all that I joked about stealing and lying and cheating and blackmailing, I would never really do it. Steal, that is. In the short time that our parents had been with us, they had instilled in us a strict moral code, which had not been forgotten. Whenever I joked like that Anna would quote "the great Shakespeare" and say, "But for your conscience?" And, as a dutiful friend, I would respond, "Conscience? Where lies that? I have no conscience! Twenty consciences could not stand twixt me and such _power_!" I'd say it with such a strange emphasis on the last word that us and everyone else in the room, namely Laura, would burst in peals of uncontrollable laughter. But back to the alley we sat talking in.

"No," I repeated firmly. "We can keep searching tomorrow. We'll find something eventually. Really, we can't give up so easy." I was trying to convince myself as much as her.

"Eh. I guess." She adjusted her bag, which she was using as a pillow. A few minutes later came "Catty?"

"Yeah?"

"Who's pranking the teacher's without us?"

I laughed. Laura sat up, a look of mock-affront on her face. "This is serious, Catty! They can't be allowed to go around scot-free! I'm sure Anna is trying, but come on, she's nowhere near as good as we were. Although Freddie is probably jumping for joy right now that we're gone."

"Ha, you're right. Remember Prince Bob?"

"Of course! She ran out of the room screaming bloody murder! Every day after that for months she made one of us check her desk drawers for dead snakes. We got in so much trouble for that one, but it was worth it, I think." One day we had found a dead snake lying the grass. There was a strict no animals policy at the orphanage, but nowhere could we find anything against dead reptiles. So we named him Prince Bob and made him our pet. We gave him a food bowl and pretended he was a live dog or something for about two days. We were almost twelve, and saw nothing wrong with this. On the third day, after Ms. Fried, a tutor, had given a particularly long and monotonous history lesson, in which she had called Anna out for sleeping, when it wasn't her fault, how could she help but fall asleep when you're so boring, we decided to give Prince Bob up for the greater good. We stuck him in Ms. Fried's, a.k.a. Freddie's, chalk draw, where she was sure to stick her hand. We saw nothing wrong with this either. Unfortunately, the Headmistress did, and we lost our free time for a week. We saw very much wrong with _that._

Actually, looking back on that little episode, I'm not overly proud of it. It _was_ fun, though.

"Ah, the good old days," I said, leaning back. I turned to her, pretending to be contemplative. "You know, nostalgia just ain't what it used to be."

Laura laughed at that. I started to laugh too. Then a heard a voice that made my blood run cold.

"No, it ain't, is it?"

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Oooh, suspenseful. I already have the next chapter written, but I'm gonna wait for some feedback on this one, so the more people who review, the faster the next one comes up!


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